Serdang, Malaysia: Considering GPS For Heavy Vehicles

Another country to consider adding the benefits of GPS to their fleets: Malaysia. In Serdang, the Transport Ministry is considering installing GPS devices in their heavy vehicles in order to crack down on bad driving habits.

Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi, Serdang Transport Ministry’s deputy minister, said discussions are underway with the Road Safety Department. “The move (of installing GPS devices on heavy vehicles) has been implemented in China and it has brought about many positive impacts,” he said to reporters following the launch of Lafarge Drivers Safety Day at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS).

The Ministry gave priority to heavy vehicles according to Kaprawi because there is a greater risk of them causing fatal accidents, damaging the road, and causing high amounts of pollution. He also pointed out that these vehicles, when overloaded, could endanger other drivers on the road.

Kaprawi added that the installation of the GPS tracking devices, if successful in the heavy vehicles, would then move on to taxis. This would help prevent the drivers from taking longer, more drawn out routes to the passenger’s destination in order to cheat the passenger out of money.

In a call to all drivers, whether commercial or not, the deputy minister then asked motorists to watch their speed on hazy days. The hazy driving conditions lead to the inability to see, and this is dangerous to all others on the road.

“Speeding at a time like this can pose danger to other road users, including motorcyclists and pedestrians,” he said.

Other countries have been highly successful in curbing accidents and violations while keeping other motorists and pedestrians safe. There is definitely added value in protecting the customer from being ripped off with optimized routes. With the success of this program, the citizens of Malaysia can feel confident they will be protected.